Pressurization system and kit for pressurizing pickup truck bed closed at its top by a cover

Abstract

A pressurization system for pressurizing a covered bed of a pickup truck features an opening in the truck bed closed by a perforated grill and a duct extending from a vent at a rear of the cabin to the opening in the bed. The vent at the rear of the cabin communicates an inside of the cabin with an outside so that air inside is discharged to the outside. As such, the duct is disposed externally of the cabin and thus conveys to the covered bed the air which is discharged from the cabin through the vent.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. A pickup truck comprising:
 a frame having front and rear ends that is arranged for rolling movement across a support surface; 
 a cabin arranged for housing occupants that is supported on the frame; 
 a ventilator unit feeding an interior of the cabin with forced air; 
 the cabin including a vent at a rear of the cabin by which the interior of the cabin is communicated with an exterior of the cabin so that the forced air inside the cabin is permitted to discharge from the cabin to the exterior thereof; 
 a truck bed supported on the frame rearwardly of the cabin with a front wall at a front end of the bed, rear wall at a rear end of the bed, and side walls spanning therebetween on either side of the bed; 
 a cover spanning between the front wall, the side walls, and the rear wall so as to close a top of the truck bed thus defining an enclosed container at the truck bed; 
 the truck bed having existing openings through which ambient air is able to pass into the enclosed container; 
 a pressurization system for pressurizing the enclosed container so as to prevent passage of the ambient air into the enclosed container comprising:
 an opening in the bed; 
 a duct disposed externally of the cabin extending from the vent in the rear of the cabin to the opening in the bed for guiding the air discharged from the cabin through the vent into the enclosed container. 
 
 
     
     
       2. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the duct is disposed between the rear of the cabin and the front wall of the bed where the opening in the bed is located. 
     
     
       3. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the opening of the bed is located in the front wall thereof in a manner corresponding with location of the vent in the rear of the cabin such that the duct extends linearly rearwardly from the vent to the bed opening. 
     
     
       4. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the duct comprises compressible material extending from a position at the rear of the cabin towards the front wall of the bed so as to maintain communication with the vent during movement of the bed relative to the cabin. 
     
     
       5. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the duct comprises a first face with an opening communicating a passageway of the duct with the vent of the cabin and a second face with an opening communicating the passageway with the opening in the bed, the first face of the duct being in butting engagement with an outer surface of the cabin and the second face being in butting engagement with an outer surface of the bed. 
     
     
       6. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the duct is supported in fixed relation to the bed with an end portion of the duct in butting engagement with the rear of the cabin so as to maintain communication with the vent during movement of the bed relative to the cabin. 
     
     
       7. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the duct comprises thermally insulating material. 
     
     
       8. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  wherein the vent in the rear cabin is enclosed around its periphery by an open end of the duct. 
     
     
       9. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  further including a perforated grill closing the opening in the bed, the grill including a screen locating perforations of the grill and a rim supported on the screen that locates the duct in position between the vent in the rear of the cabin and the opening in the bed. 
     
     
       10. The pickup truck according to  claim 9  wherein the rim has a peripheral outer face and a peripheral inner face which co-terminate at a distal end of the rim that is spaced from the screen, and the duct is received at the outer face of the rim. 
     
     
       11. The pickup truck according to  claim 1  further including a perforated grill closing the opening in the bed, the grill including a plurality of elongated ridges each which project transversely from a face of the grill that is exposed at an inside of the bed so as to resist obstruction of perforations of the grill by contents in the bed. 
     
     
       12. A kit for pressurizing a bed of a pickup truck that is closed with a cover, the pickup truck including:
 a frame having front and rear ends that is arranged for rolling movement across a support surface; 
 a cabin arranged for housing occupants that is supported on the frame rearwardly of the compartment; 
 a ventilator unit feeding an interior of the cabin with forced air; 
 the cabin including a vent at a rear of the cabin by which the interior of the cabin is communicated with an exterior of the cabin so that the forced air inside the cabin is permitted to discharge from the cabin to the exterior thereof; 
 the truck bed supported on the frame rearwardly of the cabin with a front wall at a front end of the bed, rear wall at a rear end of the bed, and side walls spanning therebetween on either side of the bed; 
 a cover spanning between the front wall, the side walls, and the rear wall so as to close a top of the truck bed thus defining an enclosed container at the truck bed; 
 the truck bed having existing openings through which ambient air is able to pass into the enclosed container; 
 the kit comprising: 
 a duct to be located externally of the cabin arranged to extend from the vent in the rear of the cabin to an opening formed in the bed for guiding the air discharged from the cabin through the vent into the enclosed container; 
 whereby the enclosed container is pressurized by the air discharged from the cabin such that ambient air is prevented from passing into the enclosed container. 
 
     
     
       13. The kit according to  claim 12  wherein the duct is arranged to be disposed between the rear of the cabin and the front wall of the bed where the opening in the bed is located. 
     
     
       14. The kit according to  claim 12  wherein the duct is arranged to extend linearly rearwardly to the opening which is formed in the bed at a location corresponding to that of the vent in the rear of the cabin. 
     
     
       15. The kit according to  claim 12  wherein the duct comprises compressible material arranged to extend from a position at the rear of the cabin towards the front wall of the bed. 
     
     
       16. The kit according to  claim 12  wherein the duct comprises a first face with an opening arranged for communicating a passageway of the duct with the vent of the cabin and a second face with an opening arranged for communicating the passageway with the opening in the bed, the first face of the duct being arranged for butting engagement with an outer surface of the cabin and the second face being for butting engagement with an outer surface of the bed. 
     
     
       17. The kit according to  claim 12  further including a perforated grill arranged to close the opening formed in the bed, the grill including a screen locating perforations of the grill and a rim supported on the screen that locates the duct in position between the vent in the rear of the cabin and the opening formed in the bed. 
     
     
       18. The kit according to  claim 17  wherein the rim has a peripheral outer face and a peripheral inner face which co-terminate at a distal end of the rim that is spaced from the screen, and the duct is arranged to be received at the outer face of the rim. 
     
     
       19. The kit according to  claim 12  further including a perforated grill arranged to close the opening formed in the bed, the grill including a plurality of elongated ridges each which project transversely from a face of the grill that is arranged to be exposed at an inside of the bed so as to resist obstruction of perforations of the grill by contents in the bed. 
     
     
       20. The kit according to  claim 12  wherein the duct comprises a first portion arranged to be held in fixed relation to the opening in the bed and a second portion which is movable relative to the first portion such that the passageway of the duct is adjustable in length between the opening in the bed and the vent at the rear of the cabin, and the second portion at its end distal to the first portion supporting a compressible seal arranged for butting engagement with the rear of the cabin.